Oklahoma State UniversityMuseum of Art

Branding | Identity | Print

Recognition: Silver ADDY Award (Regional), Gold ADDY Award (District)

The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art (OSUMoA) was officially established in 2013. The museum houses a broad permanent collection, hosts visiting exhibitions, has an educational space operating under the name ArtLAB, and partners with other community arts organizations.

When we were approached by OSUMoA, they already had an established brand assigned to their organization by the university. Our goal was to refine the current logo while building out the brand as a whole so that their team would have the tools to implement their identity across multiple platforms and experiences.

First, we made thoughtful modifications to the logo. We strengthened the mark by adjusting proportions, and we filled in the central "hole" in the mark so it would not distract attention to the negative space. We adjusted the typography to similarly deemphasize “of,” the least important word in the name, and to match the typography to the geometric nature of the mark. The final typeface we chose involves squared off letterforms that complement the visual mark.

In applying the revised brand to their materials, we used a comprehensive color palette to balance “America’s brightest orange.” The color palette had to appeal to a diverse audience including university students, museum donors, and families with children, so developed two palettes that work together and separately to establish different moods.

When implementing the brand through print materials, we used scale and color to bring energy. The final print materials are active with carefully placed tension.